Wearing sad sneaker-and-workpants combos, he starts frequenting a local bar every night but, unlike his wife, he's not having much luck moving on - until Jacob (Ryan Gosling) takes pity on him.
With a makeover and some tips for picking up women, Cal soon gets some joy in the dating department, picking up teacher Kate (Marisa Tomei), who falls for lines taught to him by Jacob. But creepily, Cal continues gardening chores at his wife's house so he can watch her with their children.
The side characters are the real stars of this show, particularly Analeigh Tipton, whose face will be familiar to America's Next Top Model fans and who plays the Weavers' babysitter with a disturbing crush.
Actress of the moment, Emma Stone, is also brilliant as the kooky but sensible lawyer Hannah, who manages to turn down the advances of Jacob, but finds herself back in his world when she doesn't get the marriage proposal from her boyfriend that she was hoping for.
The story is more realistic than the usual romantic comedies that tell of giddy first love and holding on to your soul mate.
This movie recognises that people can also fall out of love, miss out on their true love and yet have plenty of fun in between.
Crazy, Stupid, Love
M, 2h 10m
Stars: 3/5
